1,500 Iran Death Row Prisoners Sew Lips Shut in Strike as Executions Reach 424
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 28
1,500 Iran Death Row Prisoners Sew Lips Shut in Strike as Executions Reach 424
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 28
Summary
At least 1,500 death row inmates at Ghezel Hesar prison joined a hunger strike, with some sewing their lips shut after six men were moved to solitary confinement ahead of possible execution.
Videos shared by exile rights groups showed prisoners chanting “Be our voice” and pleading for medical help, while one inmate said guards refused to open doors to let deteriorating strikers reach the infirmary.
Iran Human Rights says at least 424 people have been executed this year, mostly in drug cases; on Tuesday, authorities hanged two men convicted over the deaths of two police officers during anti-government protests.
The protest extends a prisoner-led anti-execution campaign that began in January 2024, as families demonstrating outside Ghezel Hesar were reportedly met with a violent crackdown and activists said conditions had not improved after a similar 2025 strike.